3. AUTEUR THEORY
Auteur theory, as the website states is when
the director is viewed as the main creative in
a type of media, so when you look a type of
media you will be able to tell who's directed
it from the way it looks or sounds. Like for
example Quentin Tarantino, his films are
always in the same style and from that you
can tell its his work.
Adam Augustyn. auteur
theory. Available:
https://www.britannica.com/art/auteur
-theory. Last accessed 10th Sep 2021.
4. RECEPTION THEORY
Reception Theory is the theory that media is encoded by
the creators and then decoded by the viewer btu in some
cases its decoded differently by a person and then they
have a different view than indented. Like for example; A
writer writes a book about space travel, its then read by a
person who interprets it as metaphor as dying when in
reality its just space travel.
Anon. Reception Theory. Available:
https://revisionworld.com/a2-level-level-
revision/media-studies-level-revision/reception-
theory. Last accessed 10th Sep 2021.
5. THE HYPODERMIC NEEDLE THEORY
The Theory of the Hypodermic Needle
suggests that the media has a massive impact
on people and their view of the world and the
way it works, it usually occurs when people are
presented with information and they believe it
straight away without any research and if they
do research it, it will only be research to back
their side. An example of this is flat earthers.
They believe the earth is flat and in some cases
that its flat and encircled with a ice wall. This of
course isn’t true but they still believe it, they
do experiments to justify their belief, have
forums, messaging groups etc.
Anon. Hypodermic Needle Theory.
Available:
http://www.mediaknite.org/hypodermic-
needle-theory/. Last accessed 10th Sep
2021.
6. MALE GAZE THEORY
The Male Gaze Theory is a theory that
suggests that media, when making
female characters makes for men, an
example is having the character be
slim, having long hair or wearing a
provocative outfit. This is really
prominent in video games and an
example of this is Overwatch, the
female characters all have the traits
that men desire. It manipulates the
way men see women and creates an
unachievable standard for how
women should look.
Janice Loreck. (2016). What does male
gaze mean, and what about a female
gaze?. Available:
https://theconversation.com/explainer-
what-does-the-male-gaze-mean-and-
what-about-a-female-gaze-52486. Last
accessed 10th Sep 2021.
7. THE MALE GAZE THEORY
The male gaze theory is a theory created by Laura Mulvey and is based around the concept that women in the media are portrayed a certain way for the viewership of men. Since the dawn of media women have been portrayed as objects
for men, in a article from verywellmind.com the author Sarah Vanbuskirk talks about the general knowledge of the male gaze theory. I choose this article as it seemed like the most appropriate piece of writing to cover and it was also fact
checked so I know it’s a decent piece of research. In the overview she talks about the origin of the theory and talks about the whole issue rather than just talking about how women are viewed movies she talks about the extent of the
experience of being seen the way they are seen. She talks about how the male gaze warps women's perception of themselves and makes them have a need to fit into this false perception created by men. This is what she says about the
topic; “The term "male gaze" was first popularized in relation to the depiction of female characters in film as inactive, often overtly sexualized objects of male desire. However, the influence of the male gaze is not limited to how women and
girls are featured in the movies. Rather, it extends to the experience of being seen in this way, both for the female figures on screen, the viewers, and by extension, to all girls and women at large. Naturally, the influence of the male gaze
seeps into female self-perception and self-esteem. It's as much about the impact of seeing other women relegated to these supporting roles as it is about the way women are conditioned to fill them in real life. The pressure to conform to
this patriarchal view (or to simply accept or humour it) and endure being seen in this way shapes how women think about their own bodies, capabilities, and place in the world—and that of other women.”
In another section of the article she talks about the history of the male gaze, she talks about who came up with and published the theory Laura Mulvey and what the essay she wrote about male gaze theory talks about. “British feminist film
theorist Laura Mulvey described the concept of the "male gaze" in her 1973 essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema," which was published in 1975 in the film theory magazine Screen. In the article, Mulvey, who is a professor of film and
media studies at Birkbeck, University of London, explained the way that mainstream media objectifies women, showing the female body through a heterosexual male lens as a passive non-actor secondary to the active male characters.” This
next part of the history section came at the end of the section but still seemed like an important element to talk about as it sort of summaries the argument Laura was talking about. “The argument is that the male gaze controls the
narrative, which is that women are not equal actors in the world. Instead, their agency is reduced to that of an erotic or supporting object, with their value as a female form (and person) reduced to how it appeals to the male viewer and/or
to how threatening (or not) it is to the stereotypical male perspective.”
Sarah makes a point to add a highlighted piece of information which is really insightful and a good fact to know when talking about this subject. “The impact of the male gaze has been internalized to a certain extent by both men and
women—and we may not always even be aware of its presence or how it influences our choices and vision of ourselves and others.” When going through the article I felt this was a good point to add as its true and not something you would
actually think about, its just normal at this point to see a woman in a bikini for no reason.
In the next section she talks about understanding the male gaze, here is piece of the section, I felt this was the most important as it has the most resourcefulness. “In order to understand the male gaze, you need to recognize it. Typical
examples are female film characters whose main purpose in driving the plot seems to be to be attractive, sexy, and/or to feed the sexual interest or agenda of the male characters. They wear heels and tight dresses (even if they are police
detectives who may need to pursue a suspect) and while they may be shown in a variety of contexts, their primary motivation rests on being the helper, eye candy, or romantic interest.” The next part is also related to the male gaze section.
“The bodies of these women are used to sell and attract (predominantly heterosexual male) attention. Female celebrities pose provocatively on the covers of magazines, male stars (usually fully dressed) pose alongside minimally-dressed
models or simply on their own. The message is that men are provocative enough without showing a lot of skin.”
The next two parts of the article go hand in hand, talking about whether or not the male gaze is harmful and the effects of it. Here I have the what I feel is the most important information from these sections; “To get a sense of the full
ramifications of the male gaze, it's vital to recognize how the representations of women within film and various other forms of media filter out from those movies, magazine layouts, and pinup images to inform how women are viewed by
society-at-large. Consider how the other characters within the movie, ad, or social media post react to and see these passive, often nearly-naked women as well as the experience of the people taking it in as viewers. Continually seeing girls
and women serve as prizes for men and acting without much agency of their own except to jockey for male attention, influences male and female perceptions of female value, purpose, sexuality, and power.” In the section about the male
gaze being harmful it talks about how the male gaze is an addition to some women's struggles, she says; “For people in traditionally marginalized groups, the male gaze is an added burden. For example, Black women have historically been
depicted as being hypersexual by the male gaze, which adds another facet of stereotype to the pervasive racism they face. Similarly, the male gaze also fetishizes Asian (and lesbian women, as long as the man can watch or participate),
portraying them as exotic, erotic specimens for male enjoyment.8he blonde bombshell (also known as the ditzy blonde or airhead) is another common trope.”
The next section id like to talk about is the mental health impacts, this is a huge factor of the impact of the male gaze and effects a lot of women. “These are big questions that often don't get much attention. However, that doesn't mean
that these issues aren't at play—whether it's consciously or subconsciously. But the accumulated impact of living under the male gaze does more than simply alter how a woman poses for the camera, the types of characters they see in their
favourite TV shows, or how it feels to them to be seen out in the world. In fact, the objectification of women has a profound mental health impacts—and social media has become a particularly potent method of disseminating the reach of
the male gaze.” This is a huge part of the theory and I'm surprised its not talked about more as so mny women suffer from it, social media is a massive part of daily life and impacts people so much that its just become a normal thing to
scroll and feel jealous of people, it’s a viscous cycle of seeing good looking people and then posting your own good looking photos and then someone else will see that photo and do the same thing. Its so unhealthy to have to live that way,
constantly worrying about how you look and what people think of you and it’s the cause for a lot of mental health problems.
Sarah Vanbuskkirk. (2021). What is the Male Gaze?. Available: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-male-gaze-5118422. Last accessed 15th Oct 2021.
The image in the top right was on the website and I felt that it was important to include.
8. MALE GAZE THEORY
https://youtu.be/bDbMZyfoFFk
After looking up YouTube videos I came across a video called 'The Dangers of The Male Gaze' by a woman called cutiecaryn on YouTube. Through watching it she makes some
good points and I felt that should be included in my research. She starts with a personal story about seeing a man staring at a group of women at a drive through and then scaring
him off with her dog, this is that relevant, but it outlines how some men are really open about how they see women and its alarming. She then speaks about the question: why
does the male gaze exist? Shes starts with talking a movement called menimist which started out as a twitter account mocking feminists and generally degrading women. The
account eventually got banned in 2017. She then talks about being asked if she was a feminist by men and denying it and then being applauded for not being a 'crazy feminist.'
The only reason she denied it though was she was afraid to call herself a feminist and agree with their views. She says, "I let the male gaze stop me from speaking my mind." (I can
from personal experience say I've done the same thing or when I have said I am I've been called a femi-nazi. I just wanted to fit in my guy friends, so I hid my real opinions.) Other
women would also not call themselves feminists for the same reasons. This was all done to be able to have male friends/ impress them and it worked. She then talks about why we
acted this way; it was fed by an almost need for the approval of men. She then says, "why as a society are we basing what is right off of what the majority of men think?" This is
important because its deep rooted in history that men's opinions come first and this is the reason we live the way do, even to this say we are still being oppressed by men and
their opinions without even knowing it from trends that please men to expectations of the female physique set by a male game character designer. Some of it is obvious and some
of it is men's opinions in the past still being used to control women and the way they look. She then talks about how she tested the male gaze. To test it out she will join work
business meeting with that boyfriend does with him, sometimes she will wear fake glasses and sometimes she wont, when she isn't wearing glasses she's seen as his arm
candy/girlfriend/shes respected, but when she does wear glasses all the men start asking her questions and they talk to her like she's more educated. She then says how she went
further with the test, she wore glasses for the first half of the meeting and then took them off for the other half of the meeting. When she'd take them off she'd catch the guys just
staring at her when she wasn’t talking. By taking the glasses off she put more attention on herself without talking. At the end of the meeting she puts them back on and she says
they feel the same way as they did before she took them off, intelligent and educated. But they also saw her in a 'personal' way, they sat down with her and actually got to know
her without realising it was the glasses. She then talks about the question "can men and women be friends?" Most say yes but when it comes down to it but a lot women are
scared of these friendships because men ruin it by asking them out. It wrecks the trust that women have of men and makes them afraid that guys only want to be friends with
them so you would with them and they never actually wanted to get to know you. She then talks about women being portrayed in media being stupid and annoying, it makes
women believe that that’s all they are, stupid and annoying, it also goes into women being sad in movies, drinking in a bathtub, eating ice-cream and crying, basically lying about
how women actually act. She then talks about how the male gaze was used against men. A musical group marina and the diamonds made a music video featuring men in pants
showering and dancing, literally mirroring what women do in the background of men's music videos. This created a lot of controversy and men would say things like "if you don’t
want us to objectify women don’t objectify us." She also says that the male gaze also hurts men too, it harms them mentally, like not being able to talk about their emotions.
9. THE MALE GAZE THEORY – FEMALE GAZE
https://www.vulture.com/2018/08/how-do-we-define-the-female-gaze-in-2018.html
This is an article by Tori Telfer on the website Vulture the article is called How do we define the female gaze in 2018?It includes some really good points from both sides of the argument and opinions from celebrities arguing if its real.
A camera pans slowly over the curves of a woman’s body — and every woman in the audience rolls her eyes. That sensual, ravenous, kinda porn-y perspective? It’s our old friend, the male gaze, a theoretical term coined in 1975 by the film
critic Laura Mulvey that’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. In cinema, the male gaze looks while the female body is looked at; the gaze can come from the audience, from a male character within the film, or from the camera
itself. Think of the scene in Transformers, when Megan Fox “fixes” a car by leaning sensuously toward its engine as the camera slithers around her taut abs (she’s wearing a crop top, of course), and then up the front of her body, and
then down her back. It’s palpably gross. We’ve seen the technique onscreen a million times.
This month, the Film Society at Lincoln Center attempts to counter all those gratuitous panning shots by presenting “The Female Gaze,” a survey of 36 films made with female cinematographers — a relatively rare breed of artist. “Few jobs
on a movie set have been as historically closed to women as that of cinematographer,” the Film Society writes. “The persistence of the term ‘cameraman’ says it all.” The collected films range from the raw and dangerous (Aileen: Life
and Death of a Serial Killer, shot by Joan Churchill) to the disorienting and heartbreaking (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, shot by Ellen Kuras), with plenty of emotional shades in between.
What is the female gaze, then? It’s emotional and intimate. It sees people as people. It seeks to empathize rather than to objectify. (Or not.) It’s respectful,it’s technical, it hasn’t had a chance to develop, it tells the truth, it involves physical
work, it’s feminine and unashamed, it’s part of an old-fashioned gender binary, it should be studied and developed, it should be destroyed, it will save us, it will hold us back. The female cinematographers involved in the project have
as many opinions on the female gaze and its helpfulness (or lack thereof) as you might expect from a group of talented, thoughtful, highly trained people who are more than just “female cinematographers.” Here’s what a few of
them have to say about how they see the world from behind their cameras.
The female gaze is highly relational:
Kirsten Johnson, Derrida and Cameraperson: “Filming is physical work in which one is seeing and being seen. What compels me most about it is the constant searching. I think of filmed images as active relationships. These relationships
come into being in the moment of filming and they continue to shift as they are seen and seen again on into the future. Every person in the equation, including each new viewer, becomes a part of this active relationship. That I filmed
someone, and they felt my looking and still carried on — this is the relationship I am talking about and it is the source of the aliveness that I aspire to in my work.”
The female gaze is still fairly new:
Babette Mangolte, Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles: “In the early 1970s when I arrived in New York from Paris, there definitely was the desire to invent a female gaze. Women started to shoot films made by
women and also for women. We all felt that men had shown their point of view since the beginning of the world and we now should try to find if we could invent a new language that would be different from the one of our fathers or
lovers.”
The female gaze looks like…:
Joan Churchill: “Susan Meiselas is one of my sheroes. A photojournalist who first came to my attention in 1976 when she did the amazing book Carnival Strippers, she uses stills, film, audio, video, and archive to present to us her
experiences of following the people she points her camera at.”
The future is female gaze-y:
Natasha Braier, The Milk of Sorrow: “It’s kind of sad that we are at a such basic level today where we have to talk about the female gaze and this rare group of women who are just 4 percent of a male-dominated field. I understand the
conversation is needed, because we need to improve that. But I wish that, in the near future, this conversation will be obsolete.”
There is no female gaze:
Ashley Connor: “Believing in a female gaze means I believe in the male gaze and I hope we’re moving towards a world not bound to gender binaries.”
10. THE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN FILM
https://www.nua.ac.uk/about-nua/blog/the-representation-of-women-in-film-student-blog/
This is an article by Emily Gray on NUA website, it discusses the changing role of women in film
The film industry, that powerful, ongoing excellence that has always been filled with gender equality, female protagonists and equal star pay… right? Wrong. Women
in film have most definitely had a rough ride, so buckle up as we dive right in to how the representation of females in film has developed (and by that I
mean, improved) over time!
The Golden Age
Rewinding it back to 60’s Hollywood Cinema first, where the likes of Hitchock, Billy Wilder and Robert Wise thrived – their female cast members however… not quite
so much!
It may be surprising to read that women in 60’s cinema weren’t exactly represented as they would be in a 21st century film. Actresses of the ‘Golden Age’ (Marlyn
Monroe, Audrey Hepburn) were valued (mostly) for their slim appearance and beauty, making them perfect candidates for love interests in Hollywood films…
and nothing else.
Now, believe it or not – back in the 60’s, women in film were tied to strict contracts, practically glueing them to their designated director for a number of films (and
therefore many years) leaving no room for career development, given the same carbon copy role of ‘the love interest, with their sole job being to support the
performance of the male protagonist’… in simpler terms ‘make the men look better’… thank goodness for change!
Women in 21st century film have blossomed into protagonists, directors and family favourites, paying homage to the ladies who laid the groundwork in the 60’s,
making it possible for women to be represented as they are today! Thank you, Golden Age women! Where would we be without them?
The 21st Century
Pulling forward to the 21st century, away from the sexualisation/exploitation of women in cinema to the celebration of women in film! The development of the role
of the female has been rapid and extremely positive, now we have strong female leads/roles/directors in almost every film we see!
For example, the role of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games; a strong, independent woman who ultimately (spoiler alert!) wins the game by using not her looks,
her sexuality or her femininity – but by simply outsmarting the rulers of the game! Katniss’s character is the perfect example of the knowledgeable woman,
celebrated for her brains over beauty!
The strong female roles of today (Captain Marvel, Katniss Everdeen, Valkyrie, Wonder Woman – to name a few!) show a true development of how women are
represented in film, and are now celebrated for their strong roles, comparing this to 60s cinema… the representation really has improved, and is ever improving…
from hardship to protagonist, the role of the women will always be pivotal in film.
12. TOMB RAIDER (1996 AND 2013)
2013
Unnecessary shots of her chest, the camera angle deliberately that way to show her chest.
Falling over, slight camera zoom exaggerating her behind.
The lowering of her vest to show her chest more.
Exaggerated hip movements.
More zooming into her behind
Heeled boots
The way she walks is not normal, exaggerated
The fact you can see the top her bra out of her top when it could definitely cover it up.
Blatantly unnecessary shots down her top.
Shes very pretty and skinny its very common for women to be pretty in games like these.
The topes she wearing, I though originally it was because of the weather but everyone else is wearing layers and long sleeves.
Large eyes, small nose and big lips, all tropes that men want in women facially.
1996
Small waist, really skinny, big chest, large behind all things men find most attractive.
13. BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT – HARLEY QUINN
High pitched voice.
Chest showing and exaggerated, very focused on her chest.
Clothes designed to exaggerate her figure
Big eyes, high cheek bones, big lips and small nose
Short skirt
Slim figure
The side kick, only there for the joker, only involved in the game for the joker, after you kill him, she seeks revenge, it's the same trope, Shes never out for herself its always
about the joker, up until recently when birds of prey came out the joker was like her only personality trait, thankfully birds of prey shows her getting over him. Its only
when the joker dies she becomes intelligent again, the joker says, "what's confusing me is how the hell she found your top-secret bat base, bat-face? She couldn’t fine her
own reflection in a mirror when I was alive. It's something was holding her back." Shes smart again but still only there because of the joker, her whole existence is
around Joker.
Shes seen as stupid because she fell in love with the joker.
Shes not wearing heeled boots which is surprising
Unnecessary close-up shots of her chest
When batman picks her up there a clear image of her behind which is quite clearly not realistic.
Shes portrayed as weak without the joker
14. GRAND THEFT AUTO 5
The use of women as objects – prostitutes, strippers just general siding the women off
There are no male strippers or prostitutes
The women in the art on the loading screens are wearing clothes that show a lot of skin, none of the men are showing their
chests and the women are intentionally good looking and the men are just generic looking.
The amount of strip clubs, the signs outside of them are provocative signs of women.
There are prostitutes that walk around on the streets in the game in provocative outfits.
There is little to no respect when it comes to the women in the game in general.
It's basically again leaving the women as the side characters, like the James Bond movies, there only there when you want
them, and you want to look at them or sleep with them.
It's not very inclusive when it comes to women as well, the body types are off, and the clothes are all ill-fitting, they make the
female playable characters and NPCs look awful and unfeminine. The lack of descent hairstyles is also bad.
The game discreetly leans you into the male side of the game, it's not as inclusive for women as it is for men.
It's a lot like the James Bond movies in the way that they treat and present women.
15. JAMES BOND MOVIES
A example of male gaze in film is the James Bond franchise, throughout the 25 films there have been a lot of female characters
who were manly there for Bond to sleep with and then leave in the dust. 79 to be exact and there's only been 25 movies. They
would all have the same tropes, skimpy dresses, beautiful features, slim figures and large chests. They would also be branded
with a name that reflected how important they were to the movie and example of a women in a Bond film is the character 'Pussy
Galore' this character was played by Honour Blackman and owned a flying circus of female pilots that were hired by the enemy
of that movie 'Auric Goldfinger' to fly over Fort Knox and gas the soldiers so he could break into the gold vault. The film that she
stared in was called Goldfinger, although I don’t believe the character was made to sleep with, him the name she was given is
ridiculous and distasteful and most certainly directed at the male audience. A lot of the girls were hired by his enemies to
seduce him and then assassinate him, they all unfortunately failed, the running theme throughout the films with the women are
that they are a side character for him to sleep with and then leave or they die just to be added to a list of the women who came
before them. I think the original author of James Bond, Ian Flemming had a warped view of women and life itself, he wrote the
books to live out some fantasy he had of being a bachelor, saving the world multiple times and sleep with endless women. It's
said that his marriage with Ann Flemming was his reasoning behind the books, maybe he was tired of her and wanted to live out
his imagination but the only to do that was by writing about it. Thankfully in the up-coming James Bond film the women have
been said to break away from the mould of just being objects and are taking making their own path in the film, hopefully this
will be a step forward for women in the films industry and give peace of mind to the women who were previously subject to the
Bond films. James Bond is just one example out of thousands of medias that portray women poorly, from film to magazines
women have always been the centre of men's lives, always changing how they want them to dress, do their make-up and just
generally live.
16. MARIO GAME SERIES
Female characters are always wearing dresses and feminine clothes, the only exception is in Mario Kart
when you choose the motorcycle, they change into a tight-fitting racer suit, Peach for example has a
white with pink stripes up the side jumpsuit, all the women have these, but the stripes are in
their respective colours.
Names start with princess to show that that’s there only purpose.
Peach was only made to be saved in the original Mario.
Females character always wear girl colours or extremely girly clothes.
Very feminine names.
Feminine clothes and hairstyles.
All their items in the games are girly, for example peaches vehicles in Mario Kart are all pink and have
girly elements to them, all the female characters do.
17. OVERWATCH
Overwatch is first person shooter game where you play as characters with different abilities and
weapons.
All the women in the game are sexualised in some way, they are presented certain way from their bodies,
the way they dress and even the way their weapons used is sexualised.
One of the most sexualised characters in Widowmaker, she is a sniper character who looks like a male
fantasy, she's got a slim figure and wears a jumpsuit that outlines her body to point were its just not
necessary, it also shows her cleavage to an unnecessary point.
Another character that is over sexualised is Tracer, she's a damage character that can teleport around the
map. She wears really tight orange high-waisted leggings, she also has an exaggerated figure that
causes men to sexualise her.
